Caracas, Venezuela -- The authorities in Venezuela said Wednesday that they would investigate claims that illegal Brazilian gold miners massacred a village of Yanomami Indians deep in the Amazon jungle.

It was not clear how many people may have died in the massacre. An account presented to prosecutors Monday said most of the approximately 80 people living in a remote village called Irotatheri were killed.

The massacre occurred in early July, according to the account, which was submitted by a Yanomami organization to prosecutors in Puerto Ayacucho, the capital of Amazonas state in southern Venezuela.

The document said the only survivors of Irotatheri appeared to be three people who had been away from the village hunting when the miners arrived. The village is located along the upper reaches of the Ocamo River.

The account said the miners arrived in a helicopter and attacked the villagers with guns and possibly with explosives. The three people who had been off hunting heard the helicopter and sounds of gunfire, it said.

The national prosecutor's office said Wednesday that it had appointed a commission to investigate the allegations. It said the village was a long helicopter ride or a 15-day walk from Puerto Ayacucho.

The charges evoked memories of a 1993 episode in an Amazonas village called Haximu in which 16 Yanomami were killed by Brazilian miners.

Illegal gold mining is a long-standing problem in the Amazon on both sides of the border. Many Brazilian miners cross into Venezuela, often clashing with indigenous groups.